This afternoon in Washington, the NTSB–National Transportation Safety Board–will hold a briefing about the tragic crash of TWA flight 800. This is tied into a documentary which will air beginning July 17th on Epix. TWA flight 800 crashed on July 17, 1996. Kristina Borjesson directed it.

Here’s a personal note: I was in Atlantic Beach, Long Island picking up my cousin’s kids, and we saw that plane take off. I said, “Kids, that’s a plane I’ve taken before.” An hour late we arrived at my great aunt’s house, and saw what happened on TV. It was unbelievable.

Apparently a lot of other people found it unbelievable too. Two hundred thirty people were killed in the crash. If you remember there were sightings of other planes, and a lot of unanswered questions. In the film, a half dozen former member of the team that investigated the crash finally come clean on how they were undermined and what they think really happened.

We’ll have to wait and see what comes of the briefing and a petition to re-open the investigation.

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Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.

It was impossible for the NTSB to come to the correct conclusion about the cause of the explosion when the FBI – who should NOT have been involved in the investigation at all – withheld material and information from the NTSB investigators.